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Bruce Boudreau

Central Notes: Spurgeon, Koivu, Thomas, Avalanche, Copp

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The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today they signed Jared Spurgeon to a seven-year, $53MM extension that will kick in during the 2020-21 season. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Spurgeon’s deal has a no movement clause this year as well as the first four years of the first contract. After that, Spurgeon has a 10-team modified no-trade clause for the final three years, which will kick in during the 2024-25 season.

  • Sticking with the Wild, Minnesota got some good news about injured forward Mikko Koivu, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL back in February. The 36-year-old, who was expected to be eased back into practices and scrimmages in training camp, told coach Bruce Boudreau that he’s ready and is expected to participate in scrimmages on Monday, according to StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan. Koivu was cleared for practice on Thursday, but now looks like he’s ready for full play. He scored eight goals and 29 points in 47 games last season before going down with the knee injury.
  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues have been without forward Robert Thomas for a second straight day as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a tendon in his left wrist. He and Jordan Kyrou, out with a knee injury, are expected to be brought back slowly from their injuries. “We’ve got them in that third group right now,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve got to be a little cautious with them right now.”
  • BSN Denver’s A.J. Haefele writes that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar had quite a few positive to point out after Day 2 of training camp. Bednar pointed out quite a bit of improvement in the play of winger Andre Burakovsky and the standout play of A.J. Greer and the impressive leaderships skills of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. He also said that he believes that the next step for defenseman Samuel Girard is his offensive game. The 21-year-old scored four goals and 27 points last season. While both were career highs, Bednar would like to see those numbers rise this season.
  • The Athletic’s Ken Wiebe reports that the Winnipeg Jets are without a few player at the moment. The team has been without forward Andrew Copp due to a minor groin injury, while Kristian Vesalainen and Sami Niku were stiff Saturday after being in a fender-bender on Friday. They should return soon.

 

West Notes: Coyotes, Boudreau, Schuldt

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With there being so many notable restricted free agents despite training camps being only a few weeks away, it will be worth watching to see if teams adjust their approaches towards trying to lock up their young players earlier.  With that in mind, Coyotes GM John Chayka acknowledged to Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) that the team has already started talks with their three potential RFA forwards next summer in wingers in Clayton Keller, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Christian Fischer but was quick to add that none of the talks should be considered as advanced.  Arizona hasn’t hesitated to lock up players early in recent years but considering that they could be facing a bit of a cap crunch in the near future, they may opt to tread lightly with these talks for now.

Elsewhere out West:

  • While new general managers often like to handpick their head coach, don’t expect that to be the case in Minnesota. New Wild GM Bill Guerin told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he has “full confidence” in head coach Bruce Boudreau so there is no coaching change on the horizon.  The veteran bench boss could reach the 1,000 games coached mark this season but the team has won just two postseason contests over his first four seasons with the team.
  • Jimmy Schuldt’s presence on the Golden Knights’ entry into their upcoming rookie tournament raised some eyebrows as the defenseman remains unsigned. His agent told SinBin.Vegas (Twitter link) that both sides are preparing as if a deal will be done by the time the tournament gets underway on September 7th.  However, Jesse Granger of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that while he could play on a tryout deal as many undrafted players do in these events, his sense is that it’s unlikely that Schuldt would participate.  Many teams pursued the 24-year-old in college free agency last season but he was only eligible for a one-year, entry-level deal which is why he’s now unsigned after playing just one game with the team.

Bruce Boudreau To Return As Minnesota Head Coach

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The Minnesota Wild made some big changes in the front office recently, but won’t be doing the same behind the bench. GM Paul Fenton spoke with reporters today and made it very clear that Bruce Boudreau will be back next season despite missing the playoffs this year. Fenton also explained that he will try to “fix this on the fly” instead of trying a full rebuild, and noted that players like Matt Dumba, Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise will be ready for training camp.

Boudreau, 64, has been with the Wild for three seasons and failed to get them past the first round of the playoffs in each of the first two. Missing completely led some to believe that he may be on his way out, given he wasn’t even hired by Fenton, but there are few with his history of success available. The former Washington and Anaheim bench boss trails only Scott Bowman and Jon Cooper in winning percentage among coaches with at least 500 games, and has still never had a season under .500 in his career. His resume also includes championships at both the ECHL and AHL level, and this season marks just the second time his NHL club has missed the playoffs. He won the Jack Adams award as Coach of the Year in 2008.

Even with all of that, the seat is certainly still hot in Minnesota. The team won’t be tearing down the walls to rebuild a roster that hasn’t been able to eclipse mediocrity, and if they don’t find success soon there will have to be changes. Fenton did already alter the look of the core group of players by trading away Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund, and will likely have some more moves coming this summer. Boudreau’s task will now be putting all those new pieces together and getting back in the race in the Western Conference, and will do it on the last year of his current contract.

Perhaps some luck will come Boudreau’s way this evening when the draft lottery results are announced, and he’ll have a new star to set into his line up. Even if it doesn’t, he’ll have to find a way to get more production out of young forwards like Luke Kunin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway.

Minnesota Wild Start Front Office Changes

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If you though the changes in Minnesota were over following the big trades they made this season, you were wrong. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team have fired former assistant general managers Andrew Brunette and Shep Harder along with lead hockey researcher Andrew C. Thomas. Russo adds that Chris O’Hearn could potentially be brought in as a replacement AGM, and Bruce Boudreau is expected to return as head coach.

All three of the people the Wild let go would’ve seen their contracts come to an end this summer, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were looking for a shakeup in the front office. After years of making the playoffs but failing to progress, the team brought in GM Paul Fenton to enact drastic change on the organization. The roster looks much different after veterans like Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle were all sent packing, and now the front office will have several new voices as well.

Brunette especially was a well known member of the Wild, going back to his playing days with the team. The veteran of 1,110 NHL games spent several seasons in Minnesota over two stints with the team, and re-joined the organization after retirement in 2012. Harder too had been with the team for more than a decade, starting as an intern.

The Wild missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2012, but made a commitment to get younger by acquiring pieces like Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Kevin Fiala. The team also signed top college free agent Nico Sturm, and will have a chance tomorrow at winning the draft lottery to move up in the first round. Still, there are big decisions to be made on what direction the team takes this summer. Veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be entering the final year of his current contract and is eligible for an extension on July 1st. So too is Mikko Koivu, though his future depends much more on how his 36-year old body responds to a major knee injury.

There’s also plenty of work to be done, as Sturm, Donato, Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek, Pontus Aberg are all restricted free agents that need new contracts. If all five of those players are back with full-time roles, there may not be enough room for the rest of the veteran group including Jason Zucker, who was close to being traded to the Calgary Flames at the deadline and could be a candidate to be moved this summer.

Central Notes: Boudreau, Kunitz, Stars

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Although the Wild will miss the playoffs this season, GM Paul Fenton and owner Craig Leipold have not discussed a coaching chance, reports Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  That suggests that Bruce Boudreau will be back behind the bench next season.  He has one year remaining on his contract after this season so it will be interesting to see if the two sides work out an extension or if Fenton opts to wait and preserve some flexibility to make an in-season change if they get off to a slow start in 2019-20.  Boudreau has the third-highest points percentage amongst active NHL coaches at .641.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blackhawks winger Chris Kunitz has yet to decide whether or not he wants to play next season, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. The 39-year-old has played a very limited role with Chicago this year, collecting just ten points (5-5-10) in 55 games while logging just over nine minutes a night.  However, given his previous postseason successes (including four Stanley Cups), there still may be teams interested in him this summer if he decides that he wants to keep playing.
  • While Stars winger Mats Zuccarello suited up on Tuesday, he was noticeably absent from Friday’s loss to Chicago. However, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic notes (subscription required) that Zuccarello’s absence wasn’t injury-related but rather just precautionary.  He’s available to play tonight but head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that he’s confident that Zuccarello is ready to play in the postseason without another tune-up game.  Meanwhile, goalie Ben Bishop is expected to start tonight after missing four straight contests due to a lower-body injury.

Wild Notes: Parise, Sturm, Schuldt

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As we speak, the Minnesota Wild are playing what amounts to a must-win game against the Arizona Coyotes. Neither team is in a playoff position as of now, but it still represents a potential four-point shift in the Western Conference wild card race. The Coyotes currently sit in ninth place, three points back of the Colorado Avalanche for the final postseason berth. The Wild are in tenth place, just one point behind the ’Yotes. A Minnesota regulation win would see them leapfrog Arizona to pull within two points of Colorado, but an Arizona regulation win would put Minnesota three points back of the nine seed and still four points back of the eight seed, which might be insurmountable with only three games remaining after today.

Hurting the chances of a much-needed Wild win today is the continued absence of star forward Zach Parise. Unfortunately, he may not be returning at all this season. Just prior to puck drop, beat writer Sarah McLellan reported that Parise would not be active for the game, which was not a great surprise, but added that head coach Bruce Boudreau has qualified Parise’s lower-body ailment as “significant”. While she writes that the team “hopes” he might play again this season, it seems far from certain. Parise has now missed four games in a row and with three games left his chances to return are running out. A loss today would substantially lower the odds of Parise being rushed back to action as well. The 34-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence this season, leading the team with 26 goals and 59 points, but this is a disappointing end to an otherwise encouraging season for the veteran.

  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo believes that the Wild are “pushing hard” for college free agent forward Nico Sturm. The Clarkson University captain is considered the top defensive forward in the NCAA and has improved offensively in each of his four collegiate seasons as well. The concern with Sturm is that the 23-year-old may have already peaked in his development and could project as nothing more than a fourth-liner at the NHL level. However, with good size and a mature game, Sturm does have the added benefit of being able to contribute right away, even if not on the score sheet. In fact, Russo writes that if Sturm lands in Minnesota, he is likely to join the Wild right away and burn a year off his entry-level contract.
  • There has been plenty of speculation as to where St. Cloud State University defenseman Jimmy Schuldt might end up and the rumor mill has only heated up since the Huskies were unceremoniously upset for the second straight year in their first game of the NCAA Tournament. At one point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Schuldt would follow teammate Ryan Poehling to the Montreal Canadiens, but those whispers have subsided and many other contenders have entered the fray. Count the Wild as one such interested club. The Athletic’s Jake Jensen writes that Minnesota is at least “in the race” for Schuldt, alongside the L.A. Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. Potentially the best undrafted defender in college hockey this season, Schuldt will be a nice prize for whichever team he decides to join.

Five Key Stories: 2/11/19 – 2/17/19

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With the trade deadline now just over a week away, activity has started to pick up around the NHL.  Rumors of major trades continue, but so far just a few deals have been completed.

Lafreniere To Stay In CHL: Potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere set the record straight after rumors were circulating that the 17-year-old may opt to sign a contract overseas and follow the footsteps of Auston Matthews who played his draft year in the Swiss NLA. Lafreniere’s agent, Momentum Hockey Agency, released a statement making it clear that while the young talent did look into playing overseas, he and his family decided to stay in the CHL with Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL where he’s played the last two years, having totaled 74 goals and 172 points in 110 games. At 6-foot-1, he already has the size and proven ability to play in a professional league, but he will stay put for one more year.

Pastrnak, Maatta Injured: The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins each took a hit to their team when each team lost a significant player to injury. The Boston Bruins lost David Pastrnak for a minimum of two weeks after he underwent thumb surgery on Feb. 12 after he fell at a team function. The Bruins, who are fighting with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Division won’t be helped even if its for a few weeks without Pastrnak, who is the team’s leading scorer with 31 goals as well as 66 points, second on the team. The Penguins also took a hit on their blueline when they placed Olli Maatta on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that would sideline him indefinitely. The team was getting back Justin Schultz from injury at the time, but the team was looking forward to getting back a fully healthy defense, which now they won’t have for some time. To make matters worse, the team had recently dealt away Jamie Oleksiak to make room for Schultz, leaving the team with a lack of depth all of the sudden.

Wild Owner Approves Selling: Just hours after Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau guaranteed that the Wild would make the playoffs, Wild owner Craig Leipold announced that he has given general manager Paul Fenton the green light to sell off some of the team’s players in advance of the upcoming trade deadline. With the team dropping four straight and having a 2-5-3 record in their last 10 games, it might be time for Fenton to make his mark on this team after being hired this summer to fix the team’s inability to advance deep into the playoffs. Among the numerous players who could be shipped off include pending unrestricted free agent Eric Staal as well as Charlie Coyle, who still has one more year on his deal. There are also a number of bottom six players who could be moved as well, including Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, Brad Hunt, Matt Bartkowski and Anthony Bitetto.

Philadelphia’s Hart Gets A Mentor: The Philadelphia Flyers finally consummated a rumored trade in which it acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot for Anthony Stolarz. While Edmonton freed themselves some much needed cap room as Talbot was making $4.17MM, the Flyers got themselves what they hope will be a long-term veteran who can mentor their prized rookie Carter Hart for the next few years. Talbot, who was already familiar with Hart before, waived his no-movement clause to come to Philadelphia and made it clear that he was open to signing a new contract before July 1 to remain with the team.

Ottawa Intends To Trade Duchene: The Ottawa Senators have stopped in their attempts to sign Matt Duchene to an extension and have indicated to all teams that they intend to trade the 26-year-old center. According to reports, the Senators have shifted their focus of signing Duchene to making a full effort to locking up Mark Stone to an extension. Stone may have a day or two to make up his mind on whether he is willing to sign an extension or he too, will be made available to the league with the intention of selling them off at the trade deadline. Already there has been rumors that the Nashville Predators, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders have expressed serious interest in acquiring the center with more suitors likely to join in before the upcoming trade deadline on Feb. 25.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minnesota Wild Owner Approves Of Seller Status At Deadline

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In direct opposition to comments made earlier today by head coach Bruce Boudreau, who guaranteed his team would make the playoffs, the owner and general manager of the Minnesota Wild have made other plans. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that owner Craig Leipold has given first-year GM Paul Fenton the “green light” to move roster players before the trade deadline given the team’s current slump.

Russo writes that Leipold and Fenton met yesterday to discuss the state of the team. Minnesota has just one win in it’s past seven games since losing captain Mikko Koivu to season-ending injury and has slipped into the thick of the “turtle derby” for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wild have fallen significantly behind the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues in the division and now hold on to the second wild card slot by a mere two points over the Vancouver Canucks with a game in hand. Behind Vancouver at 57 points sit the Arizona Coyotes, who are working toward full health, and the Colorado Avalanche, with their potent top line, both at 55 points and a game in hand on Minnesota. There’s also the Chicago Blackhawks at 55 points and even games and the Edmonton Oilers at 53 with a game in hand and a determination to make the postseason. The Wild are by no means guaranteed a playoff spot, even if they keep their current roster together or even make a minor addition or two, as an onslaught of other teams are within striking distance. In light of this situation, Leipold has given Fenton his approval to improve the Wild for the future if he can, even if that means hurting the team’s playoff odds.

So what exactly does this mean for Minnesota? Russo does not expect sweeping changes. He feels that Leipold and the Wild brass still feel that their Stanley Cup window is open, but without Koivu and Matt Dumba, the team’s odds of even making it to the postseason and through the first round are slim, never mind finally winning a title. The core players are likely safe, but Fenton will use his newly-granted flexibility to test the trade waters on his impending free agents and some other expendable pieces. Eric Staal is the player that will jump out to most; the respected veteran is in the final year of his contract and could help many contenders down the middle. Bottom-six forwards Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, and Matt Read and depth defenders Brad Hunt, Anthony Bitetto, Nate Prosser, and Matt Bartkowski are all impending UFA’s and should all be up for grabs as well. Among signed players, rumor mill regular Charlie Coyle and buried bruiser J.T. Brown are also obvious names to watch. Russo quickly examines the trade status of much of the roster and settles on Greg Pateryn and Marcus Foligno as possible outside-the-box casualties as well.

There isn’t going to be a fire sale in Minnesota, but no longer are the Wild going to be considered buyers. Perhaps a strong showing by the team in the six games between now and the deadline – four of which are against non-playoff teams – will even convince Fenton to stand pat and hope they can hold on to a wild card spot. However, if Minnesota cannot shake this slump, then Staal and any of the other marketable players mentioned are likely to be gone ahead of the deadline. Perhaps that causes the Wild to miss the playoffs, perhaps it doesn’t, but when the odds are 50/50 as is, the team may as well get what they can for expiring and expendable pieces.

Snapshots: Murray, Boudreau, Stone, Stewart

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There was more than a bit of scrutiny and criticism when Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray named himself interim head coach despite not having any coaching experience. Yet, Murray’s first game behind the bench last night was the Ducks’ first win in weeks. A shutout performance by Kevin Boyle played a major role, but USA Today’s Mike Brehm writes that Murray’s presence made an obvious impact. Anaheim came out hot, scored early, and played with energy and aggression that they haven’t displayed during this disappointing stretch. Brehm advocates that all NHL GM’s consider spending time as a coach following a coaching change, as he feels the pressure and seriousness that Murray brought to the Ducks’ locker room was the reason for their sudden change of spirit. The next question, of course, is how long Murray’s role as coach can maintain this level of play.

  • Another coach is trying to motivate his team a different way, one that required some boldness. Appearing on KFAN radio in Minnesota today, Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau guaranteed his team to make the playoffs. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not often that anyone on a team offers up such a prediction, never mind the head coach, but the veteran Boudreau apparently feels confident and surely wanted to energize his players. “I can tell you right now”, Boudreau proclaimed, “we’re going to make the playoffs. And we’re going to be somebody hard to deal with.” It’s big talk from the Minnesota bench boss, but can he back it up? The Wild are currently clinging to the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, having picked up just one win in the past seven games, but still hold a two point lead over the Vancouver Canucks with a game in hand, with several more teams right behind. Minnesota also stands little chance of climbing further up the standings, as the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues have played their way to solid leads over the Wild. Boudreau has consistently qualified for the postseason during his long career as a head coach, but with one seed up for grabs and arguably seven teams within striking distance, it could be a tall task for the Mikko Koivu-less Wild to hold on.
  • BSN Denver’s A.J. Haefele reports that the Colorado Avalanche have had discussions with the Ottawa Senators about impending UFA trade target Mark Stone. It’s unclear how far back these talks were, but it seems very unlikely that the two sides are still talking given that GM Joe Sakic has made it clear that his first-round picks and top prospects are off the table at the deadline. Haefele himself even doubts that a deal is made. However, if Stone doesn’t end up re-signing in Ottawa, the Avs could circle back on their interest this summer when the world-class winger likely hits free agency. With Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog signed long-term to below-market deals, Colorado could more than afford to bring in Stone while also extending Mikko Rantanen. Stone may be eager to join the Avs, who have top young offensive talent and a treasure trove of promising prospects still to come. It’s an interesting possibility to consider in a few months time.
  • A journeyman forward who has suited up for the Ducks, Wild, Avalanche, and several other NHL teams in his career is hoping to make a comeback. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman hears from brother Anthony that Chris Stewart is gearing up for another try at an NHL contract this off-season. A veteran of 652 NHL games, Stewart played for the Wild and Calgary Flames last year, recording 16 points in 54 games. The physical winger has tallied 321 points to go with 729 penalty minutes in the NHL, but is looking to add more. Although he had PTO offers from the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season, per Friedman, Stewart instead chose to spend the year training in England and has played a handful of games with the Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL. Stewart, still just 31, could have a chance to land a contract, or at least a PTO, next season due to his reputation for physicality, his work ethic, and his ability to be a difference maker along the boards.

Kenny Agostino Will Not Face Further Discipline From Player Safety

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As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight, they are fortunate to do so with forward Kenny Agostino in the lineup. Agostino, who has carved out a nice role for himself with the Habs this season, received a match penalty game misconduct in the first period of the team’s match-up with Minnesota last night for a late hit on the Wild’s Eric Fehr. Yet, missing most of the game and leaving his team shorthanded appears to have been a fitting punishment for Agostino in the league’s eyes. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that no further discipline will come from the Department of Player Safety and instead Agostino will take the ice this evening.

The incident in question occurred early in the first period of last night’s game in Montreal. Agostino hit Fehr with a late check along the boards, despite having enough time to slow up after Fehr had passed the puck away. Fehr fell against the boards in front of his own bench and hit his face on the way down (video). The veteran forward left the game and did not return. Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau told the media today that Fehr is out tonight against the Boston Bruins but due to soreness and not any long-term injury. Both Fehr and Agostino logged just 25 seconds of ice time apiece in the game due to their early collision. In addition to a game misconduct, Agostino earned a major penalty for interference, a penalty that was partially reduced by Minnesota defenseman Nick Seeler who came to the defense of his teammate and fought Agostino, but at the cost of an instigator penalty. Not long after Agostino’s exit, the Canadiens also lost Shea Weber, who was took a puck up high and left the game. Down two skaters for much of the game, Montreal somehow still held the Wild to one goal albeit in a 1-0 defeat.

In his defense, Agostino has no suspension history or past dealings with the Department of Player Safety. While his check on Fehr was certainly late, it was not a heavy or high hit with an intent to injure, but the unfortunate way that Fehr landed caused most of the damage. Although the league could have thrown the book at him for a late, careless hit that caused an injury, the decision not to further discipline Agostino with a fine or suspension seems fair.

Throughout most of his pro career, an absence by Agostino would not have mattered much to his teams. The former AHL standout struggled to earn play time in stops with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and Boston Bruins, but has already set a career high in games played (28) and points (11) in Montreal. Agostino is still playing a limited bottom-six role, but improved physicality and extraordinary possession numbers have helped him lock up a spot in the Habs’ lineup. On a $700K two-way contract this season, the winger is a bargain for the Canadiens. However, the 26-year-old is surely looking forward to being a free agent again this summer following his current breakout campaign.

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